Political Prize

BJP leader L.K. Advani's proposal that the government honour former PM A.B. Vajpayee with the Bharat Ratna triggered a national debate over state awards. But these awards have very rarely come without controversies

Bharat Ratna
BJP leader Advani8217;s proposal set the ball rolling and other parties followed with their own wishlists: Jyoti Basu, Kanshi Ram, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sachin Tendulkar, even Bhahadur Shah Zafar.

The honour to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose8212;awarded posthumously in 19928212;was withdrawn after the government failed to come up with conclusive evidence to establish Netaji8217;s death.
Mahatma Gandhi was never bestowed the honour8212;possibly because the original statute of January 1954 did not talk of posthumous awards.
Pandit Jasraj accused sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar of lobbying for the Bharat Ratna in 1999.

Padma awards
The late E.M.S. Namoodiripad said no to then prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao8217;s offer of a Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award, saying the party does not accept state awards. The CPM8217;s Laxmi Sehgal had also refused her freedom fighters8217; pension and a Padma award.
In 2002, danseuse Sitara Devi refused to accept the Padma Bhushan, saying she would not accept any award less than the Bharat Ratna.
Sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan refused the Padma Shri and the Padma Vibhushan awards in 1964 and 1968, saying the awards committee was incompetent to judge artistic creativity

National Film Awards
In 2006, documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the entry criteria for the awards, which does not allow films without a censor certificate.
Last year, jury member Sahyamli Banerjee Dev alleged that the 2005 awards were 8220;fixed8221; and that Sanjay Leela Bhansali8217;s Black did not qualify for the best film award since it was an adaptation of the English feature film The Miracle Worker of 1962.
Raveena Tandon8217;s best actress award for Daaman in 2001 kicked up a row when jury member Pradeep Krishnan resigned objecting to the presence of Tandon8217;s uncle on the jury.

Sports awards
l In 2001, Milkha Singh refused an Arjuna award for 8220;lifetime achievement8221;, saying the award had come too late. He objected to being 8220;clubbed8221; with two women athletes, Rachna Govil and Vijaymala Bhanot, who had had little international success.
In 2003, ace shooter Anjali Bhagwat slammed the Arjuna Awards committee for nominating athlete K.M. Beenamol for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award ahead of her, saying its decision showed that performance was not the only criterion for the award.

Elsewhere
Former British prime minister Tony Blair was accused of offering honours for cash after four people he nominated were found to have made substantial loans to the party ahead of the election. In December 2006, he became the first serving prime minister to be questioned by police as part of a criminal investigation.
The Sri Lankan Government8217;s decision in 1996 to bestow the highest national honour8212;equivalent to the English knighthood8212;on the entire Sri Lankan team, including the reserves, was criticised.
In 2000, the British Queen presented the Royal Ulster Constabulary RUC with the George Cross, the highest civilian award for bravery. But republicans described the award as 8220;offensive8221;, saying members of their community had suffered at the hands of the RUC.